Tag Archives: water

[This was originally posted on August 21, 2011, but had to be “reconstructed” following the crash of a MySQL server at my Web hosting service.]

After my post last summer about storm watching in Tofino, BC, I found two Webcams that show a real-time view of the Pacific Ocean along the west coast of Vancouver Island. One of these is closely centered on the Amphitrite Lighthouse near Ucluelet (about 40 km south of Tofino).

It all began, simply enough, with this photo. In January 2006, I had newly joined flickr and found Vida Morkunas’ photos. This one, which she had just uploaded, captivated me because of other things going on in my life, things at the not-so-nice end of one of those “versus” dualities. I just wanted to sit on that bench, sink into it, even be that bench — and stare at the waves. The “restful” part sounded good, but “wild pacific trail” sounded remote, and the description below the photo confirmed it: “Ucluelet BC, on the Left Coast of Vancouver Island.” sigh. Not right now.

In A Zen Wave, Robert Aitken calls it “probably the most famous poem in Japan.”

The old pond;
a frog jumps in —
the sound of the water.

It must surely be the most-translated of Basho’s haiku, or anyone else’s for that matter. In addition to Aitken’s rendering (above), there are another 30 translations available on this eclectic Website, plus Aitken’s commentary. And, for those with an insatiable thirst to drink from the pond, here is a sampling from my favorites: